The south-central Kansas town of Anthony will soon rebuild a block downtown that was lost to fire five years ago.
There's a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the $3.5 million redevelopment project.
In 2009, several businesses were destroyed by a gas explosion and massive fire that burned for hours. The fire began when a truck broke through pavement in an alley, severing a gas line that then exploded.
Demolition began a year later, and a special sales tax was levied in the downtown area to fund the reconstruction.
The project calls for a building a two-story, 41,000-square-foot shell with nearly a dozen storefronts, which will then be up to individual property owners to complete.
